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The present invention relates to livewell for use on a boat to hold fish and more particularly to a livewell tank for preventing sloshing in the tank to protect the well being of the fish held within the livewell tank.
In fishing tournaments, fish are commonly caught and maintained in a live condition and released back into the lake once the fish have been weighed, photographed and the like. For this and a number of other reasons, many fishing boats are provided with livewells for maintaining fish in good living condition for extended periods of time.
Livewells generally include a livewell tank of sufficient size to retain a number of fish. Typically, the tank is coupled with at least one pump drawing water from the surrounding lake into the tank. At the inlet of the tube pumping water to the livewell tank, an air supply tube may be fitted with the inlet tube to mix air with the incoming water to provide oxygen to the fish within the tank. Additional pumps may be used in case the initial pump fails or to provide a recirculation circuit to aerate the water in the tank when fresh water is not being pulled into the tank. Conventional valves and controls are used to control the function of each pump and control whether fresh water is being pulled from the lake, recirculation is occurring, or both.
Typically, livewell tanks are only partially filled with water in operation for a number of reasons such as preventing water from flowing outwardly from tanks through an outflow drain or over the sides of the tank as the boat moves. However, the unfilled space at the top of the livewell tank creates a number of problems. Primarily, when the boat is moving, the empty space in the tank leads to water turbulence in the tank. The water tends to slosh about within and buffet against the sidewalls of the tank. Consequently, the fish within the tank are forced in motion along flow of the water and, at times, strike against the walls of the tank. This instability places the well being of the fish in danger and leads to diminished survival rates.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a livewell tank for preventing water within the livewell tank from adversely affecting the fish within the livewell when the boat is in motion.
In accordance with the foregoing and other objects evident from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, a livewell is provided which includes a bottom, a sidewall section, a top and an overflow drain. The sidewall section is coupled with and upstanding from the bottom at a first end to define an interior compartment. At a second end of the sidewall section, a peripheral edge is presented. The top is coupled with the second end of the sidewalls section and has on opening for receiving fish. The top includes a first surface projecting inwardly from the peripheral edge of the sidewall section a portion of the interior compartment. The overflow drain is coupled with the sidewall section proximate the top of the tank.
In another aspect, the livewell tank of the present invention includes a bottom, a sidewall section, a top and a baffle. The sidewall section is coupled with and upstanding from the bottom at a first end to define an interior compartment. At a second end of the sidewall section, a peripheral edge is presented. The top is coupled with the second end of the sidewalls section and has on opening for receiving fish. The top includes a first surface projecting inwardly from the peripheral edge of the sidewall section a portion of the interior compartment. The baffle is coupled with the sidewall section and extends inwardly into the interior compartment.
By providing a livewell tank capable of operating with a full or nearly full volume of water in accordance with the present invention, numerous advantages are achieved. First, the water within the tank does not exit through the overflow drain or over the top of the sidewalls of the well and onto the deck of the boat. The elimination of the space at the top of the tank reduces the turbulent flow within the tank and the sloshing and buffeting of the water associated with the turbulence. Second, the fish are maintained in a relatively stable system of water that is more suitable to maintaining the well being of the fish and increasing the likelihood that the fish will survive their time in the livewell. Third, the livewell of the present invention may be incorporated with conventional pump systems and integrated within the conventional boat decks.